Every Story
by StellaPen
Summary: Ideas from Aida. This story stars you, and to quote a song, "This is the story of a love that flourished in a time of hate, of lovers no tyranny could seperate!"


A/N: This is really not meant to be taken too seriously. After seeing the wonderful play Aida (which if you love MR, I know you would also love) twice though, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. It will probably mean more to you if you know that story, but please see what you think anyway! Like I said, it's a bit weird/supernatural. The songs "Every Story Is a Love Story" (which, at the end I had to change some words to) and "Enchantment Passing Through" are from Aida, written by Elton John and Tim Rice. "Come What May" is obviously Moulin Rouge and the rest is Baz Luhrman's. There, done with disclaimers.  
  
  
  
You enter the huge museum in Paris, feeling tired and hungry and therefore hoping it's worth your while. After all, you friends had talked you into coming, claiming it could change your life. You had brushed them off sarcastically but somehow wound up here anyway.  
  
Upon entering the newest exhibit, "L'amour Fou", you find yourself amazed by the general grandness of the room. By some coincidence, all the visitors are dressed in plain sparkling white, like you. It is a great contrast to the deep reds and purples of the artwork all around you. You walk up to the famous Toulouse Latrec painting of La Goulue, star of the old nightclub, the Moulin Rouge. She is wonderful, but the painting next to hers is what really catches your eye. It had a beautiful woman in a silver corset, and said below her, "Diamants". This must be the Sparkling Diamond, the other, less-heard of star, you think to yourself. Something about that painting really grips you. Something in the woman's eyes, almost as if the painter knew her well enough to show some deep secret of her soul.   
  
As you are lost in your musings and the painting, you hear two people apologize quietly for bumping into each other. For some reason you don't know, you turn around to watch them. They are staring oddly at each other, almost with a hint of recognition. But suddenly they turn away, as if embarrassed by the awkwardness of the situation. As you watch them walk away, your eyes are drawn to another exhibit.   
  
It is a wax figure of the magnificent Toulouse Latrec, entitled by the sculptor "I Only Speak the Truth". The card on the bottom of the glass case reads, "The famous French painter Toulouse Latrec, in his Magical Sitar costume. Latrec played the sitar that could only speak the truth in the only play ever performed at the Moulin Rouge, "Spectacular, Spectacular" (written by Christian James, 1899).   
  
As you begin to realize how elaborate and beautiful the costume is, two things happen. One, the man and the woman turn back around to face each other from afar, and two, to your great surprise the figure of the painter STEPS OUT OF THE GLASS CASE.  
  
You look around nervously, but no one else seems to notice anything unusual. When you dare to glance back at the haunting moving statue, you see that it has now come fully to life, and seems to be staring at you. You cannot look away. Softly, with a calm and serious voice, Toulouse begins to sing:  
  
"Every story, tale or memoir, every saga or romance, whether true or fabricated, whether planned or happenstance…"  
  
The figure of Toulouse is circling you now, and you feel the sickening sensation of blacking out.   
  
"Whether sweeping through the ages, casting centuries aside, or a hurried brief recital, just a thirty minute ride…"  
  
The colors around you are swirling, and you begin to feel like you are falling. However, you cannot take your eyes off Toulouse.  
  
"Whether bright or melancholy, rough and ready, finely spun. Whether with a thousand players, or a lonely cast of one…"  
  
The transformation around you is now complete. The museum seems to have become some sort of theatre, and you are backstage. People dressed oddly rush around, all looking purposeful. You hear an older man screaming stage directions. But above all the chaos, Toulouse's voice is still very clear:  
  
"Every story, new or ancient, bagatelle or work of art, all are tales of human failing, all are tales of LOVE at heart…"  
  
With a sweep of his hand, and a few quick motions he swings from a rope to land on stage, screaming, "THE GREATEST THING YOU'LL EVER LEARN IS JUST TO LOVE AND BE LOVED IN RETURN!"  
  
You just sort of stare at the ground, amazed for a moment at everything around you. You look at all the people. They are all dressed so strangely - you assume it is the cast that is in those odd Hindu-looking costumes, with diamonds all over them. The stage hands are drinking some very green liquid…with a fairie on the bottle?! You hear a crash behind you, and a very tall man in all white clothes has just fainted. And you had thought you were just going to a museum…  
  
Softly, from onstage, you hear a female voice begin to sing, "Never knew, I could feel like this, like I've never seen the sky before…"  
  
As her sad song continues, everyone backstage goes completely quiet and freezes where they are. The man who had just fainted awakes with a start, shaking. Someone silences him. You move closer to the stage so you can hear what's going on. You've never hear a song more beautiful in all your life…  
  
A male voice has joined the woman's, and you can hear someone running down the aisle. "I will love you!" "I will love you…dying day!" "Come what may, come what may!" "I will love you until my dy-"   
  
Toulouse falls onstage, quite suddenly. "Chwistian, Chwistian! They're trying to kill you!" "Silence," you hear from a deeper, louder voice. "Look, he's got a gun!" Toulouse goes on.  
  
You hear the audience laugh, and soon the entire theatre turns to chaos. You think to yourself while people run frantically around you, trying to work this out. Christian…where did you know that name? Could this be Christian James, the writer of "Spectacular, Spectacular"? That's when it hits you…you're at the play. You're in the infamous nightclub, the Moulin Rouge! But why, and how on Earth could Toulouse bring you here?  
  
All the while you were thinking, you were watching the small view you have of the stage. This is clearly the Bohemian Revolution at its top. They sang of "Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and Love", which you remember reading about somewhere. You yourself could have fit in very nicely here. You can easily picture yourself as a Boho.   
  
The song is coming to a close. You can't see the two leads, but you can hear. And you know their love is true. "Come what may, I will love you, yes I will love you, I will love you until my dying day!"  
  
You've never even met these people, and you feel very moved. However, you don't want to stand out too much, so when they rush backstage you mingle with a crowd of crew members. The dim light is still enough that you can see the two people's faces. You gasp as they come near. The man and the woman from the museum, the ones who had bumped into each other! But how was that possible…?  
  
Everyone is cheering and hugging, and the man (whom you assume to be Christian) kisses the woman. You too are laughing and smiling with everyone else, but it all ends when the woman stumbles, gasping. Christian panics, and tries to steady her. You can't hear what is said over the frantic whispers of people swarming around you. A circle has formed around the two star-crossed lovers, and you are pushed to the back. Desperate to know what happens, you slip through the crowd, not caring about being polite.  
  
By the time you get to where you can see, Christian is crying over the woman, calling her "Satine" over and over. Suddenly he stops, and tells her quietly, "Satine, there's another world waiting for us out there. I'll find you, will you look for me?"  
  
She nods, telling him that in this world he still must go on and tell their story to all who could hear. Christian manages to sing through his tears, "There'll be no ties of time and space to bind us…"  
  
To which Satine adds, "And no horizon I cannot pursue…"  
  
Christian continues, "We'll put the world's misfortunes far behind us…"  
  
And they both finish in a barely audible whisper, "And I will put my faith and trust in you…"  
  
There are a few seconds of silence, during which no one moves. The only sounds are Toulouse's soft cries. He is in a rafter above you, and looking up you can see the makeup streaming down his face. He cared so much about these two people. Is that why he brought you here? So he won't have to face the pain alone? Somehow, you know Toulouse is stronger than that.  
  
Suddenly, painfully, the silence is broken by a heart-wrenching cry from Christian. You feel your eyes begin to water, and your mind begin to go blank. You can't see anymore, only hear. As you go back to your own time, the only thing you are aware of at all is Christian's scream.  
  
You find yourself once more in the museum in Paris, standing in front of a painting of Fee Verte…the fairie! The Sparkling Diamond picture is next to it. Now you know how Toulouse had been able to paint Satine so well, and to capture that perfect look in her eyes. That look that seemed to say, "There is something better, waiting for us." The title of the picture is, "One Day I'll Fly Away".   
  
Your thoughts are interrupted by Toulouse's strange voice again behind you. You see him walking slowly back to the glass case. He sings sadly,  
  
"From deep within the tomb, a gentle light still shone, showing me my path, and that we are not alone…"  
  
You are drawn to an exhibit you didn't notice before. Two beautiful coffins, inscribed with "Come What May". The caption says, "At Toulouse's request, Christian, who died a few years after Satine from causes unknown, was buried next to his love."  
  
Toulouse continues, looking somewhere in the next room. "Certain in my heart that ancient lies must cease, the lovers' death gave birth, to a reign of peace."  
  
You can now see what Toulouse is looking at. The man you had seen earlier, who bumped into the woman, the one who looks remarkably like Christian. After all these years…was it possible?  
  
Toulouse steps into his case, glancing in the other direction at a sad-looking redhead. Satine?  
  
He sings as he closes the glass door, "And their story, and my journey, and the lesson they provide, draw their strength and inspiration, from a love that never dies…"  
  
He freezes into place, looking as though he hadn't moved this whole time. Perhaps he hadn't, but whatever happened had certainly made a difference on you.  
  
As you begin to walk away, the man and the woman slowly move towards one another again, but quickly turn away. You open the door to leave the museum, thinking you should probably leave them to their own business. But something in you compels you to turn around, daring a last glance back at them.  
  
They are standing in front of the coffins, staring at each other. The lights themselves seem to dim, as even from far away you can sense something in their look. Relief, as if years of struggle are over. You close the door, heading down to the street where your friends are waiting for you. As you are waiting to cross, you can't help wondering if they had finally found each other, or if that was even possible. But you know why Toulouse had shown you what happened now.  
  
He wanted to spread the word. The story didn't end there. And as you look to your friends, you know you have to pass it on.  
  
"A love that never dies…" 


End file.
